I collected 9 eggs on 26th and 28th August, on small plants of annual wall rocket. At least one was definitely green-veined as I saw her lay it, but a female small white was active in the same patch. One egg never hatched. The others hatched between 4th and 6th September. One caterpillar was lost in 1st instar but all the others survived.
I placed two upright logs in the cage, in the hope some of the caterpillars would pupate on them, and there were two buckets with foodplant. I also stuck a branch in one bucket, in case a caterpillar wanted to climb that and pupate. In the end, all but one chose the netting, plastic or uprights of the cage, which I will now have to leave in place all winter!
This caterpillar is going through the contortions necessary to pass a girdle around itself:
Today it was sitting in the rain, waiting (the cage is outside and entirely open to the elements):
This one - the only one that chose a movable item - shows the girdle clearly:
This one chose the clear plastic viewing side of the cage:
This morning it had changed colour ...
... and by this evening had pupated:
This one, like the first above, chose an upright:
It pupated this morning:
This one chose the netting of the top of the cage:
This one the netting right next to an upright:
And this one another upright:
I have some males and some females. A few days ago I was able to photograph the embryonic testes on a male:
The proud mum of at least one (I saw her lay the first egg I collected), photographed on 26th August:
The possible mum of others (seen here on the same day, in the same patch, with the same foodplant to her right, rejecting a male):
Guy
